Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to drywall taping machines and particularly drywall taping machines having pump filling systems.
2. Description of Related Art
The use of drywall for wall systems has replaced plaster as the most common wallboard treatment. Drywall, or sheet rock, is a product that comes in large flat sheets. These sheets are attached to wall studs to make up the interior walls in buildings and homes. When these sheets are installed, seams are formed between sheets. Typically, these seams must be covered and sealed. Industry practice uses a special tape to seal these seams. The tape is actually a perforated roll of paper that is embedded against the seam with joint compound, which is typically called xe2x80x9cmudxe2x80x9d. Although the tape and mud can be installed by hand, taping machines have been developed to make this process easier and faster. These machines typically have a housing that holds a quantity of tape and mud. The machine has a dispensing end from which the tape is removed. As the tape passes through the housing, mud is applied. Thus, when the tape is removed, there is a quantity of mud on it. This makes installing the tape go much faster. Examples of these devices are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,196,028, 5,789,343, 5,114,527, 5,676,793, 4,996,941, 4,652,331, 4,452,663, 4,080,240, 4,003,781, 3,112,225, and 2,366,675.
The instant invention improves one of these machines by making its set-up go faster and easier. This machine is known in the industry as a xe2x80x9cbanjoxe2x80x9d. When loading a typical banjo, the housing is opened, the roll of tape is secured in the machine, the end of the tape is pulled through the dispenser and the body of the device is then filled with mud. The housing is then closed and the tool is ready to use. Typically, the tools can hold much more tape than mud. When the initial load of mud is exhausted, the operator must return to the mud bucket, lay the tool down flat, open the tool door and hand trowel a new load of mud. The door is then closed and the latches are secured. The tool is then again ready for use. At best, this process may take a few minutes. At worst, the process may take five to ten minutes.
The instant invention eliminates much of the labor in filling a banjo-type taping tool. It uses a housing similar to the existing tools. This housing has a quick release spring-loaded one-way valve attached to the mud area of the tool. This tool is used by opening the door and placing the tape as before. The door is then closed. The tape is held in place at the dispenser by a clamp. The unit is then attached to a mud pump that attached to the quick release fitting. A pump then fills the housing with mud in about 20 seconds. To prevent the case from opening under the pressure of the pump, additional latches are required to seal the housing. When the mud is exhausted with this device, the operator returns to the mud pump, attaches the fitting to the pump and in another 20 seconds is ready to go. This process can be repeated until the tape supply is exhausted. In this way, the device saves a lot of time during the filling process.